The plastic carrier for a plurality of containers is well-known, quite often referred to as the carrier for a "six- pack or "12-pack" of containers of soft drinks or beer and the like. Such plastic carriers enable a person to carry a plurality of the containers as a single unit and the development of this type of carrier is clearly shown in the prior art as, for instance, by Poupitch in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,874,835; 2,929,181 and 2,936,070; by Hall et al in U.S. Pat No. 3,032,944; by Fisher in U.S. Pat. No. 3,044,230; by Dreyfus in U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,626; by Curry et al in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,134,485 and 3,206,019; and by Bonkowski in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,281,502 and 4,688,367. In addition, carriers which incorporate a cover of some type over the containers are disclosed by Harrison in U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,711; by Rapata in U.S. Pat. No. 3,200,944; by Poupitch in U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,033; by Hatfield in U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,699; and by Curry et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,331. The most popular of the carriers is illustrated in FIG. 1 of this application, which shows the prior art devices which do not have a protective cover for the top of the containers.
The prior art in which a protective cover of some sort, generally a two-piece system, is illustrated in the prior art as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of this application.
The popularity of these "6-pack" carriers is universal but, unfortunately, they have several disadvantages. The most disturbing of these is the fact that the perforated carrier as shown in the prior art illustrated in FIG. 1 is generally carelessly discarded after the containers have been removed, and the carrier is so ubiquitous that it has created an environmental problem of international significance. Not the least of these is the fact that the carrier is generally non-degradable, and wherever it is discarded it will never disappear, but, more importantly, the discarding of these devices quite often takes place in an environment where animals, either by curiosity or by accident, become ensnared in the openings, are unable to remove the carrier, or release themselves from engagement therewith, and quite often die a horrible death as a result of such entrapment.
A second disadvantage of the prior art is that the device as shown in FIG. 1, although providing an inexpensive carrier for the containers, do not protect the top of the containers from dirt or dust or being otherwise soiled, as quite often these multi-packs are stored in unclean areas.
The devices shown in the prior art illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 provide a more sanitary carrier, but in addition to the perforated sheet which provides the carrier mechanism, they also require a second overlay sheet which rests on top of the perforated carrier and overlies the tops of the cans. Thus the multi-ply characteristic of this device makes it expensive from a material standpoint and also from a production standpoint.
More effective in providing a sanitary carrier has been the single-ply sheet-carrier shown in FIG. 4 ( see also the Bonkowski Pat. Nos. 4,281,502 and 4,688,367, both of which are incorporated herein in their totality by reference).
Bonkowski shows in his prior art disclosures how a single plastic sheet can be thermally treated and forced over the top of the containers, with portions thereof resting beneath the chine of the cans, and thus simultaneously providing a carrier and a protective cover. A typical Bonkowski cover-carrier is shown in the prior art illustration of FIG. 4 of this application.
Although general reference has been made to a covercarrier for a plurality of containers, it is to be understood that the cover-carrier of this invention is equally applicable to carrying a plurality of bottles of glass or plastic, such as used for the dispensing of motor oil, condiments, foodstuffs, and the like.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine for producing a carrier-container which has the sanitary aspect of protecting the tops of the containers from contamination, and which also can be environmentally effective, insofar as the material used therein is both made from a recyclable plastic and also can, after use, be once again recycled.
Another object of the present invention is to provide the apparatus for applying a cover-carrier to a plurality of containers at high speed.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for applying cover-carriers to a plurality of containers, said apparatus being constructed and arranged so as to intermesh with high-speed can filling and packaging apparatus.